ATLANTA — The blueprint for a career like few others was established in Tom Izzo’s very first season as a college head coach.
Izzo’s memory is a bit fuzzy — he remembers his first Michigan State team grabbing 26 offensive rebounds in a victory over a powerhouse Arkansas program during the 1995-96 season, when it was actually 24 — but the message is clear: Some keys to success never change.
“I always say you can win games in a lot of different ways, but to win championships, it’s pretty standard still,” Izzo said Thursday. “You’ve still got to be able to do things with some accountability and some discipline.”
Michigan State is making its 27th straight appearance in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, the longest active streak in the country. At age 70, Izzo has the Big Ten’s Spartans in the Sweet 16 for the 16th time.
“He’s Mount Rushmore of this sport,” said Ole Miss coach Chris Beard, whose sixth-seeded Rebels (24-11) will meet the second-seeded Spartans (29-6) in a South Region semifinal Friday night at State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.